Visions 5: Spintronics

New devices exploiting the spin of the electron are poised to revolutionise the electronics industry

Conventional electronic devices rely on the transport of electrical charge carriers – electrons – in a semiconductor such as silicon.

Now, however, physicists are trying to exploit the ‘spin’ of the electron rather than its charge to create a remarkable new generation of ‘spintronic’ devices which will be smaller, more versatile and more robust than those currently making up silicon chips and circuit elements.